Principal's Message

​Dear Parents:

Welcome back! As we move into the final term we know things will be getting even busier. One of the things children struggle with, especially as the spring gets busy, is self-regulation. We know that children who are not regulated will also struggle with school and at home.

Experts like Stuart Shanker (Calm, Alert, and Learning, 2013) suggests that helping students understand their strengths and weaknesses will help them be able to regulate themselves. Some things you can do are:

Help your child develop and preserve optimism that he or she can and will be successful.

Never put your child down or compare them unfavourably to others, but instead focus on their strengths and nurture the idea that everyone has something valuable to offer.

Encourage your child to be accountable for the responsibilities they take on, and share their pride when they act responsibly.

Let your child's teacher know that you are interested in working with them and other school staff members to strengthen those areas that your child might need some extra help in.

Working together we can help your child have a successful last part of the school year!

This also helps students learn about being responsible for their own successes and struggles. Responsibility is also a part of our ROARS at Juniper. Responsible is the second “R” in ROARS and JUNIPER RIDGE ROARS! Let's work together in helping our children learn to be Responsible.

BRINGING ITEMS FROM HOMEPlease be aware that we do try and assist students who have items stolen or lost at the school. However, we also want parents to be aware that toys, playing cards (ie Pokemon cards, etc), devices or other items from home are brought to school at your own risk. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen items of this nature. If items of this nature are causing playground issues or become a distraction to learning or are not used appropriately, they may be confiscated.

It is recommended that students do not bring expensive items to school or items they can not do without or will cause significant stress if broken or lost. It is also recommended that you mark every item (including clothing such as boots, jackets, shoes, etc) with a name in a place easily found.

TRAFFICThank you to everyone for “R”especting our traffic and parking at Juniper Ridge. Please continue to use the pick up and drop off areas for the school to keep congestion and traffic flow safe. A friendly reminder to keep things safe and traffic flow in front of the school at a minimum, and that the staff parking lot is not a pick up or drop off area.

Juniper Ridge Elementary School is also working with the City of Kamloops on idling and air quality. Please be aware that the city bi-law permits idling for no longer that three minutes. This is particularly important at school locations where traffic flow is high during morning and afternoons. The levels of pollution can have detrimental affects to the air quality and possibly all of our children at the school.

The City of Kamloops is also going to be redoing Qu’Appelle Blvd in front of the school. They are working with Juniper Ridge Elementary on this project and will be result in possible changes to pick-up and drop-off areas for parents and community buses, school speed zones, as well as traffic flow and parking along Nechako Drive. These changes may not come into effect until September 2017. We will keep parents informed.

HEAD LICEDuring the Holidays such as Spring Break, we often get out breaks of Head Lice. This is due to the fact that families and friends are visiting from all over and children and adults are often exposed during the holiday season. Also be aware, head lice often take up to two weeks to hatch, therefore head lice out breaks in April are often due to exposure that occurred during the holiday season.

It is recommended to parents that you check your children at home at least once a week! If you find any, please treat them immediately and report it to the school so that we can take steps to keep them under control. The school handles any reported cases confidentially.

Day of Sucwentwecw Assembly

On April 7, schools across School District No. 73 will be holding assemblies and activities to honour and recognize Aboriginal identity through sense of place – generational roles and responsibilities – which is a prevalent theme in the First Peoples Principles of Learning. The First Peoples Principles of Learning has a strong influence in the BC Education Plan and Curriculum. In the Kamloops Thompson School District this is part of what is now known as the “Day of Sucwentwecw.” Sucwentwecw means to acknowledge one another. During this day, a number of events, activities and assemblies will be held to recognize our sense of place through generational roles and responsibilities and the connection with Aboriginal traditions and identity.

Juniper Ridge will be holding our Day of Sucwentwecw Assembly on Friday, April 7th, at 9:00 am.

Class & School Photos - Monday April 10th

All students will receive a free class photo.​

Congratulations to the following students for making their Battle of the Books teams. They will be going to the zone competitions at Marion Schilling on Thursday, April 13th, with grade 3/4 starting at 12:30 pm.Grade 3/4: Payton Shields, Jane Simpson and Lily EckermanGrade 5: Jack Wallin, Kasmir Bundic and Sophia LamGrade 6/7: Caelen Healey, Shaelyn Christie and Janelle Proctor

Young Authors

Congratulations to the following students for being chosen to attend the Young Authors' Conference in May: Leto deFouw, Lily Eckerman, Aunalya Turner, Samarah-Lee Gottfriedson, Faith Maddison, and Olivia Jones.

Junior Achievement - School Supply Sale / Fundraiser

Mrs. Rein's grade 5/6 class is doing a Junior Achievement Program. We will be selling cool school supplies. The date of the sale will be April 12th. The sale will take place in Mrs. Rein's classroom during school hours. Teachers will bring their classes down to buy the items. We will be selling pencils, bookmarks, magnets, and much more. The items will cost $1 - $2. All funds will go to Evan Mutrie. Please help, and we hope to see you there!

Lost and Found - Boots, Boots, Boots!

Please stop in the school, when you have a chance, to look through the huge assortment of winter boots and shoes that were left here over Spring Break.

​Juniper Calendar

April 7 Day of Sucwentwecw Assembly @ 9:00 10 Class Photos 14 Good Friday 17 Easter Monday 24 District Inservice DayMay 15 District Inservice Day 22 Victoria DayJune 9 Kindergarten Orientation 29 Last Day for Students

PAC Corner

April PAC News:Tuesday, April 11th: PAC Meeting in the library at 6 pm.The next Parent Advisory Council (PAC) meeting is Tuesday, April 11th at 6 pm in the library. All parents are automatically on the Parent Advisory Council and are encouraged to attend the meetings. Child Care is provided. Members of the staff and administration are present to offer support and advice and it is a great chance to learn more about the management and operation of our school. We really hope to see you there!Thursday, April 13th – Little Ceasar’s PizzaFriday, April 28th – Señor Frogs Mexican

All information is private and confidential. Payment can be made by credit card online through the program and these payments go directly to the PAC. There is a small fee we pay on our end per transaction and would prefer parents to pay for multiple children and multiple lunch orders all in one transaction. However, individual lunch dates can be ordered and paid for up to 10 days before the lunch occurs, so please do not feel like you can no longer participate if you have missed the first cut-off date. Please note if you are paying by cheque you can drop it off to the school office. If your payment is not received before the closing date (10 days before the lunch occurs) your orders will not be processed. Please note if your child is ill or away on a lunch date, you are welcome to come and pick up their lunch but we cannot keep the food for them for the next day. Consistent with previous years, there are NO REFUNDS. We appreciate your support for our hot lunch program as the funds go towards general fundraising within the school and special events.